Portable fluid transfer pump

Abstract

A portable fluid transfer pump is disclosed herein. The pump comprises a small electromagnetically activated fluid pump embodying a highly reliable blocking oscillator cyclically activating a solenoid coil in the fluid pump, and an electrical power cord assembly including an electrical connector adapted to be received in a convenient source of electrical power. In the preferred embodiment, the electrical connector is a male connector adapted to be received in the cigarette lighter receptacle of a vehicle such as an automobile, recreational vehicle, truck, or boat.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable fluid transfer pump comprising: a cylindrical member having a guide portion at one end and a contiguous necked down portion at the other end, said necked down portion forming an outlet port;   solenoid coil means disposed concentrically about the outside of said guide portion for generating a magnetic field in response to a current flow;   detection coil means magnetically linked to said solenoid means for generating a first signal in response to said solenoid coil means generating an increasing magnetic field, and for generating a second signal in response to said solenoid coil generating a decreasing magnetic field;   resiliently biased piston means disposed in said guide portion adjacent to said solenoid coil means, said piston means reciprocally movable against said bias in response to the magnetic field generated by said solenoid coil means;   an inlet member having one end received in the end of said cylindrical member's guide portion opposite said necked down portion, said inlet member having a like necked down portion extending outwardly from said cylindrical member, and a fluid passageway passing through said inlet member concentric with said like necked down portion, said fluid passageway forming an inlet port;   valve means disposed in said cylindrical member for providing a unidirectional fluid flow from said inlet port to said outlet port;   an external housing enclosing said inlet member, said cylindrical member, said solenoid coil and said detection coil, said housing comprising an upper member having an aperture receiving therethrough the necked down portion of said cylindrical member, a lower member having an aperture therethrough the like necked down portion of said inlet member, and means for locking said upper member to said lower member, said upper and lower members in their locked state securing said inlet member in said cylindrical member; and   a blocking oscillator having an electronic switch member for controlling the current flow through said solenoid coil in response to said first and said second signals generated by said detection coil.   
     
     
       2. The portable transfer pump of claim 1 wherein said blocking oscillator comprises a solid state switch having an emitter terminal connected to the output end of said solenoid coil and to one end of said detection coil, a collector terminal connected to the other of said two electrical leads, and a base; a series connected first and second resistance connecting the other end of said detection coil to said collector terminal, said first and second resistance forming in combination with said solenoid coil and said detection coil, a voltage divider between said one lead and said other lead;   a third resistance having one end connected to the junction between said first and second resistance and the other end connected to the base terminal of said solid state switch; and   a series connected resistance and diode connected between the other end of said detection coil and the input terminal of said solenoid coil, in parallel circuit relationship with said solenoid and detection coils dissipating in a controlled manner the current induced in said solenoid and detection coils by a rapidly contracting magnetic field;   wherein said first signal induced in said detection coil forward biases the base terminal of said solid state switch increasing the current flow through said solenoid coil, and said second signal back biases the base terminal of said solid state switch decreasing the current flow through said solenoid coil.   
     
     
       3. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 2 wherein said solid state switch is a silicon Darlington amplifier. 
     
     
       4. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 3 wherein the resistance of said serially connected resistance and diode comprises a fourth resistance connected in parallel circuit relationship with a fifth resistance between the other end of said detection coil and said diode . 
     
     
       5. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 3 wherein said housing further includes an isolated internal chamber, said blocking oscillator being disposed in said isolated internal chamber. 
     
     
       6. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 5 wherein said fluid pump further includes an electrical cord having at least two electrical leads for providing electrical power to said pump, one end of said electrical cord is attached to said pump and the opposite end is connected to an electrical connector adapted to be received in an electrical outlet of a convenient source of electrical power. 
     
     
       7. The portable transfer pump of claim 6 wherein said connector is adapted to receive electrical power from a cigarette lighter receptacle of a motor vehicle. 
     
     
       8. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 5 wherein said electrical cord further includes a switch for controlling the flow of electrical power from said connector to said solenoid coil. 
     
     
       9. The portable transfer pump of claim 8 wherein said connector is adapted to receive electrical power from a cigarette lighter receptacle of a motor vehicle. 
     
     
       10. The fluid transfer pump of claim 3 wherein said pump further includes a hanger for hanging said pump from a convenient support. 
     
     
       11. A portable fluid transfer pump comprising: a housing having coaxially disposed apertures and an internal surface;   a cylindrical guide member disposed in said housing coaxial with said apertures, said guide member having a contiguous necked down section at one end passing through one of said apertures and forming an outlet port;   an inlet member received in the other end of said guide member, said inlet member having a like necked down section coaxial with said guide member and a coaxial fluid passageway passing therethrough, said like necked down section passing through the other of said apertures and forming an inlet port, the unnecked down sections of said inlet member and said guide member abutting the internal surface of said housing adjacent to said apertures;   a cylindrical armature slideably disposed in said guide member, said guide member having a central bore forming a valve retainer;   first valve means fixedly disposed in said valve retainer for providing a unidirectional fluid flow through said cylindrical armature towards said outlet port, said first valve means having a portion protruding from said armature and forming a spring retainer;   a second valve means disposed adjacent to said inlet member for providing a unidirectional fluid flow through said passageway in a direction towards said outlet port;   spring means compressively disposed between said armature and said second valve means for urging said armature in a direction towards said outlet port, one end of said spring means circumscribing said bores and being centrally retained thereby and the other end of said spring means holding said second valve means against said inlet member;   solenoid coil means disposed in said housing coaxially around the outside of said guide member for generating a magnetic field operative to move said armature against the force of said spring means in response to a current flow, said solenoid coil means having an input and an output end;   detection coil means disposed in said housing and magnetically linked to said solenoid coil means for generating a first induced signal in response to said solenoid coil means generating an expanding magnetic field and a second induced signal in response to a contracting magnetic field, said detection coil means having one end connected to the output end of said solenoid coil means;   serially connected resistance means and a diode connected between the input end of said solenoid coil means and the other end of said detection coil means for dissipating in a controlled manner the current induced in said solenoid and detection coil means by a contracting magnetic field;   a silicon Darlington amplifier having an emitter terminal connected to the output end of said solenoid coil means, a collector and a base;   a serially connected first resistance and second resistance connected between the other end of said detection coil means and the collector of said Darlington amplifier, said serially connected first and second resistance in series with said solenoid and detection coil means forming a voltage divider;   a third resistance connected between the base of said Darlington amplifier and the junction between said first and second resistances;   an electrical cord having at least two leads, one of said two leads connected to the input end of said solenoid coil means, and the other lead connected to the collector of said Darlington amplifier; and   a connector disposed at the opposite end of said cord for connecting said two leads to an electrical outlet receiving electrical power from a source.   
     
     
       12. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 11 further including means attached to said housing for suspending the fluid transfer pump from a support. 
     
     
       13. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 11 further including a switch disposed in said housing for controlling the delivery of electrical power to the input end of said solenoid coil means. 
     
     
       14. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 12 wherein said connector is a connector adapted to be received in the cigarette lighter receptacle of an engine powered vehicle. 
     
     
       15. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 11 wherein said electrical cord further includes a switch controlling the flow of electrical power through said electrical cord. 
     
     
       16. The portable fluid transfer pump of claim 15 wherein said connector is a connector adapted to be received in the cigarette lighter receptacle of an engine powered vehicle.